Understanding Ministry and the Effects of the Orphan

House of God
Today’s Topic: Concept of Salvation: Understanding Ministry and the Effects of the Orphan
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18; Romans 8:29,30; Romans 12:1,2; Acts 9

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
2 Corinthians 5:18 says that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Now the word ministry has been so misconstrued and misunderstood. Many people do not walk in their true destiny because they do not believe that they have a ministry. Now let’s talk about the misconception and then deal with the reality.

Religion has made everyone’s ministry into a “church” model. This model is where everyone’s ministry has to be cleared by what you can put under the roof of a church house on Saturday or Sunday morning. This is a perverse mentality because it suppresses people. Churches who use this mindset see you as an opportunity to expand THEIR base of operation. In other words, it is not about discipling nor sonship, but about making their church name bigger. In other words you are the marketing ploy for the church. Now as much as that may cut people, in this model you are the resource to the leader to ensure that their provision and protection is met. Now I pray that your church is not like this, but God has shown me and many others that there are many that are. These people who lead these types of ministries are orphans. They are unfathered individuals and many of them are not accountable to anyone. If they were fathered or understood the culture of the son then they would understand they are accountable to the Father. Now that we know the misconception of ministry, what is the reality.

The reality is everyone has a ministry. Yes! Every person within the Body of Christ has a ministry. Now, not to confuse you. Your ministry is what you have been predestined and called to do before the foundation of the world. Ministry is simply serving.
Romans 8:29,30:”For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image (worship) of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
So the key to ministry is you must first be conformed to the image of the Son. You are to be the exact representation. Well how can you represent a Spirit? By doing the works of the Spirit as He commands and through obedience is the power of God shown through your ministry. What is your ministry? 2 Corinthians 5:18 says the saints ministry is reconciliation. Through our submission to Christ we are able to show and perform the Will of God in the Earth. Romans 12:1,2 tells us that by being a living sacrifice. The reason reconciliation is everyone’s ministry because it is your first identity to who you are in Christ, a son. Everyone outside of the Body of Christ is just like the prodigal son (Luke 15) who is living the stressful and unfruitful life and they are all looking for the House of God, the House of their Father so they can come in and be reconciled back to the Father and restored back into sonship and rulership.

The church has made our ministry, winning souls, but Holy Spirit through Paul says our ministry is reconciliation. Now, God administers various gifts throughout the Body of Christ to perform certain functions to further the Kingdom of God in the Earth. Your gift is a part of your ministry but it is not your entire ministry and let me explain. You maybe gifted in being an apostle or prophet but that gifting is not known to you until you first understand what it means to be a son of God. Once you learn how to be a child of God, you then can be discipled and once you come into maturity, then can you handle the true riches of the Kingdom, your gifting. There are various examples throughout the entire Bible of this but let’s look at two in particular in the New Testament, Jesus and Paul.

Jesus’ ministry did not begin until He was 30 years of age and even after He received Holy Spirit the spirit lead Him in the wilderness and He fasted for 40 days and was tempted of the devil. Jesus learned about self control and submitting all of Him to the Father. This was a discipling process to bring Him into full maturity before He goes before the people and ministers. He always called God, Father, He understood who He was first and that was a Son and all of the giftings Jesus demonstrated was a result of Him being the Son first!

Paul on the road to Demascus (Acts 9) had an encounter with the Lord and at the House of Ananias Paul received Holy Spirit he dwelt with the disciples and was not confirmed to be an apostle for over 14 years. But in that time Paul was being disicpled and when the fullness of time came, he was given grace to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

The point we are driving is everyone has a ministry and our first ministry is that we can be reconciled back to the Father we left in the Garden through Jesus Christ. We show the glory of God, Christ in us and us in Christ, through submission to Christ and doing the works of the Father who sends us where He chooses. This is the heart of ministry, sonship.

In the next message we will look at how we lost this mentality and how God brings us back to it.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.